


Wolmeric Week 2021

by Pixel_Machine



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Married Life, Wolmeric Week (Final Fantasy XIV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixel_Machine/pseuds/Pixel_Machine
Summary: Wolmeric Week Prompts for 2021! These are short drabbles for each of the prompts, all of them being for my WoL Merrow Chern and Aymeric de Borel.
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Original Character(s), Aymeric de Borel/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 13





	1. Prompt 1 - Formal

**-Formal-**

Aymeric adjusted his shirt collar in the mirror. The clothes he was wearing weren't unusual to him, he was a noble used to formal events and formal clothes, but they were not clothes he was used to wearing still. The collar was higher and a bit stiffer than what he was used to, hence his tugging.

He would have preferred to simply don his armor, but he had been told more than once that such an ensemble would not be appreciated. It may be formal enough in its ornateness, but to go to a party dressed like one was going to battle or to work was not the best of ideas.

"My lord, do stop tugging, or you may crease it." His butler said, his tone one of soft chiding. The man wore shirts with collars like the one Aymeric wore on a daily basis, "You will adjust more quickly if you do to draw your attention to it."

Aymeric nodded, the motion more minute than it normally would be, "Is Merrow almost ready?"

"Lady Chern was getting assistance with her hair, last I checked, my lord. She should be down momentarily."

Aymeric nodded, and stepped away from the mirror to wait in the hall, near the stairs.

As if on cue, Aymeric heard a door open and close upstairs, and the soft noise of heels on carpet.

"Lord de Borel! Don't you look handsome tonight?" Merrow said as she came into view. Her tone was a mocking, sarcastic practiced tone, teasing but also full of heart. She meant every word, but was mocking Ishgardian courtship rituals and their little oddities about how the parties are supposed to be addressed.

Aymeric felt his breath catch in his throat and his cheeks warmed, making him feel for a moment like he was a young nervous boy again. He'd always thought Merrow was as beautiful as she was brilliant, but tonight it was obvious just how beautiful she could be.

"Lady Chern, you flatter me." He replied, bowing to her as she reached the bottom step, "You look radiant."

Merrow laughed a bit, and Aymeric joined in, "Thank you Aymeric, I was worried the dress wouldn't look right on me."

The dress was a darker blue hue, a color Merrow didn't often wear, with hints of silver across the waves of fabric. It looked as though she'd pulled down the snowy night sky and wrapped herself up in it, it was magical and wonderful, just like how Aymeric saw her.

"You needn't worry." Aymeric replied, "Every color known to man would look beautiful on you."

"A flatterer, truly." Merrow said, and kissed Aymeric's cheek before grabbing his collar and adjusting it with a bit of a sharp tug, "There. Sorry for that, but I noticed it was a little crooked."

It felt perfect now, Aymeric realized, unlike it had before, "Thank you." Aymeric replied, grateful for Merrow's sharp eyes, and then he held out his arm to her, "Now, my lady, shall we head out?"

Merrow smiled and looped her arm through Aymeric's, "I suppose so. Wouldn't do well to be late for one's own engagement party, would it?"

Aymeric chuckled as the pair began their trek towards their destination, "No, it would not, I'm afraid."


	2. Prompt 2 - The Firmament

**-The Firmament-**

Aymeric and Merrow entered the empty bathhouse together. They had woken up early to come here, under the guise of checking that the standards were being followed. Really though it was to have a relaxing morning together. 

"I feel rather nervous about my lack of clothes..." Merrow muttered, clutching her towel to her chest as she looked around. 

"It is expected here, dear." Aymeric replied, "And for now it is just the two of us." 

Merrow scrunched up her face in the way that made Aymeric chuckle. 

"You will be alright." He replied, and held out a hand to his wife, "I promise."

Merrow sighed, nodded, and awkwardly folded up her towel before joining Aymeric in the pool. 

"See? Comfortable, isn't it?" 

Merrow sunk a bit into the warm water, letting out a hum of approval. Aymeric chuckled again both at the sound and the sight. 

"Would you like assistance in washing your hair?" Aymeric asked after his wife came back up from dunking herself completely under the water. 

"That would be nice." Merrow replied as she pushed the curtain of long white and brown hair out of her face. 

It was a quiet, intimate moment for the two of them. Aymeric was slow and methodical in his cleaning, gentle as well. 

When Aymeric pushed Merrow's hair up off her neck and back he paused, and stared at what he saw there. 

It was a scar there. It was old and pink, crooked and gnarled in its shape. Aymeric couldn't quite figure out what caused it. Magic? Shrapnel? A blade? 

Either way, he could tell it had once been a messy injury, painful. Most of her other scars had been removed by her personal recipes and magic, so it was the only mark on her back. 

"Aymeric?" Merrow asked, her tone a pitch higher, and nervous. 

Aymeric closed his eyes and let out a breath, and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her back, to the scar there. 

Merrow yelped in surprise. 

"My apologies." Aymeric said softly, "I am just...grateful that you are here, at my side." 

Merrow looked back over her shoulder and smiled, "I am too, Aymeric." She replied, and reached up to caress his cheek, "I love you." 

Aymeric turned into the caress, silently appreciating the familiar feeling of his wife's gentle touch. 

"Let's get finished up though. If we linger we'll end up getting sick from the heat." Merrow said. 

Aymeric nodded, and opened his eyes to see Merrow bathed in the early morning light of day, skin glowing and face framed by curls of steam and rays of sunlight, "Yes, of course."


	3. Prompt 3 - Casual

**-Casual-**

The fire crackled in the fireplace, its heat warming the study and its occupants. The warm blankets and sweaters they also donned made sure of that as well.

“Merrow, dearest, I love you, but please do stop sticking your feet under my blanket.” Aymeric sighed, looking up from his book to his wife, who sat on the other end of the couch, her face painted with the look of false innocence.

“I have no clue what you mean.” She said, and wiggled her toes. Aymeric nearly let out a laugh at how much it tickled.

“Your toes are freezing.”

“Hence me sticking them under your blanket! You’re so warm!” She exclaimed in return, “It’s hardly fair, really. Warm, handsome, and brilliant? Hardly fair.”

Aymeric felt his ears and face warm at the matter-of-fact way he was complimented, like he should already know these things, “Do remember you are more brilliant than I.”

Merrow tilted her head from side to side, “Well, depends on the area. I still cannot do tactics to the level you do. Planning for the party alone can sometimes overwhelm me.”

“It is a good thing you have Lady Jacklaw then.”

“Yes, Jarla is invaluable to us, as a party member and as a friend.”

The silence that came after was a nice lull, not awkward, but just something that was natural for the both of them. Aymeric returned to his book, and Merrow to knitting.

“What are you making?” Aymeric asked.

“Socks.” Merrow replied, and held it up for him to see. It was, in fact, certainly a sock, “Lucia told me that there was a need for them among some of the Temple Knights, so I decided to make a few pairs.” She explained, paused, and then giggled a little bit before shaking her head and going on with her work.

“Think of something amusing?”

“I was remembering how I would make so many pairs of socks for you every winter when we were younger, because you always managed to wear holes in them.”

Aymeric smiled at the memory she was speaking of, “You always made them blue.”

“Well blue is your favorite color, and it is the color of the Temple Knights so it made sense.”

Aymeric nodded, and again the conversation lulled. This time Aymeric found himself enjoying the mundanity of their current situation. It was a rare night that they were able to simply sit together, without being bothered or nervous, and simply enjoy one another’s company like this. It was incredibly domestic, and Aymeric found that he enjoyed it mainly because of that.

They were calm, without the trappings of Ishgardian society confining them, and without the chaos of Merrow’s life as a member of the Scions interrupting them.

It was like they were simply, completely, utterly normal.

And Aymeric basked in that feeling for as long as he could, whenever he could, including now.


	4. Prompt 4 - Flowers

**-Flowers-**

Aymeric knew that sometimes he was not the smartest of men. He rushed into things without fully thinking through the ways they could go wrong, and he let his ideals blind himself to reality at times.

However he was aware that he knew a great many things as well. He knew the inner workings of Ishgardian government and society better than many, given his background and profession, and he knew a great deal about tactics. He also knew many of the things he learned from listening to those around him; from Estinien’s rare moments of rambling he learned more than he ever wished to about Dragoon lance techniques, from Alphinaud he learned about the arcane arts involved in healing in summoning, and from his own wife he learned about the rest of the arcane arts and a great deal about other forms of mathematics.

He also knew one other thing.

He knew that his wife loved flowers.

Back before the Calamity, when Ishgard was not constantly cloaked in winter, he remembered how Merrow would wait for spring, when the ladies of Ishgard would tend to their window boxes and small community gardens. She would tell Aymeric about every single flower that was grown, their uses if they had any, and their meanings as well. Aymeric learned quickly with her the art of reading flowers, and he found it to be a skill that came in handy when he was speaking to nobles in their homes. If a nobleman’s wife was displaying begonias and rhododendrons everywhere, for instance, he knew to tread lightly and watch for signs of hostility. It also impressed a great deal of Ishgardian ladies to be able to read the flowers and ask questions relating to the stories they told, he found, and that it endeared himself to them, if not their husbands.

Yes, he knew his wife, like many other Ishgardian ladies, loved flowers. He knew that she loved their meaning as well as simply the color, feeling of life, and nice smell they brought into a space. He loved them too, though mainly because he loved how happy they made those closest to him.

However it was hard these days to get flowers to the Holy See. The cold weather meant that they had to be imported if one wanted the real thing rather than the now more popular fabric false flowers, and Aymeric knew that his wife found the false blooms to be lacking, fit really only for hair accessories like the one she always wore.

He had a mission though, and he intended to fulfill that mission to the best of his ability. It took a great deal of paperwork, and a fair bit of waiting, but he managed.

“Merrow, one moment, before you leave.” Aymeric said, standing from his desk as his wife paused. The others left his office without pause, though Jarla Jacklaw did look back and throw Aymeric a knowing sort of smirk. No doubt she knew somewhat, somehow, about what Aymeric had managed.

“What is it?” Merrow asked. She adjusted her armor a bit as she spoke. It was a new set, one that she’d gotten from those at Idyllshire as a reward for her collecting of items from the great many foes she’d fought. Apparently she wasn’t used to how the sleeves sat on her wrists, something about the cold getting in just enough to bother her, “Is something happening?”

Aymeric shook his head, rounding the desk, “No, no, nothing so urgent.” He said, tone softening in that way he’d quickly noticed himself that he only used when he spoke to Merrow, “I simply wanted to let you know that I will not be returning home tonight and will be remaining here.”

Merrow frowned a little, “Is there just that much paperwork?”

Aymeric nodded, “And a parliamentary meeting quite early in the morning, I’m afraid.” He replied, and stepped forward, kissing the crown of his wife’s head, “However there is a gift waiting for you at the manor, as an apology for my absence. I hope you find it sufficient.”

Merrow wrapped her arms around Aymeric’s middle and gave him a squeeze, “I will still miss you, but I thank you for whatever it is you got for me.” She replied, and smiled up at him, “I’m sure it is lovely.”

“Never as lovely as you are, I’m afraid.” Aymeric said as they separated. He already missed her and she hadn’t even left the room, the phantom feeling of her hug lingering, “Though I find it impossible to find something to match your beauty. You truly are one of a kind, my love.”

Merrow’s cheeks were pink and she was smiling brightly as she left the office, a bit of bounce in her step.

Aymeric returned to his desk, and leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment, running through the same thought that he’d been thinking for over a month now. He’d known he would not be able to spend the entirety of Merrow’s short stay in Ishgard with her, like he’d wanted to, so he’d asked for flowers to be delivered to hopefully lift her spirits while he worked.

Blue roses for mystery, attaining the impossible, and love at first sight, all things he thought of when he looked at her. Merrow was a powerful mage practicing magic that Aymeric couldn’t begin to comprehend completely like she did, she was seemingly untouchable and always making impossible things reality, and he’d loved her since they were both children. Orchids for refined beauty, something that she’d easily become since he’d last seen her. Finally white roses, which meant so many things, but in this case were mainly there to be united with the blue ones, to show that even if he was not there in person they were still united in spirit.

Aymeric knew Merrow would love the flowers. She loved flowers, and their meanings. And, Aymeric thought this with a bit of a wistful smile, she loved him.


	5. Prompt 5 - Home

**-Home-**

Aymeric often had to work until late, despite his best efforts to try to be home in time for dinner, or at the very least to be home in time to wish his wife a good night’s rest. However the work of the Lord Commander of the Temple Knights as well as the Speaker of the House of Lords was rarely ever done, and rarely did it ever allow for one to keep reasonable working hours.

So he often came home very late at night, doing his best to keep quiet as he made his way up to the quarters he shared with his wife, and also doing his best to be quiet as he readied for best, lest he wake his wife up. Merrow was a busy woman after all; saving the realm alongside her fellow Scions and members of her very close party, assisting much of Ishgard with their smaller scale problems now that the overhanging threat of the Dragonsong War was resolved, and also doing her best to develop and further the realm of black magic.

Merrow was always a light sleeper though.

“Hm…Aymeric?” Merrow asked softly, sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“My apologies, my love.” Aymeric whispered, smiling at her, “I did not mean to wake you. Please, go back to sleep.”

Merrow hummed, but stayed sitting up, waiting on him.

In the light of the moon and with the gentleness of sleep softening her features, Merrow’s whole form looked gentler than she perhaps normally did. While Aymeric was always proud of his wife for being as proud and strong as she was, he found it hard to deny that he also liked seeing her when she didn’t have her guard up as much. It felt like an honor, to be trusted so much.

“How was your day?” Merrow asked softly.

“Long.” Aymeric replied, “But productive, so I am content. I just wish I could have come home sooner and spend time with you.”

Merrow hummed again, “I did miss you.” She whispered, “Did you eat?”

“Yes, Lucia made certain of that.”

Merrow nodded approvingly, the seriousness looking ridiculous on her sleepy face, “I’ll thank her.”

Aymeric chuckled a bit, and finally made his way to bed, joining his wife under the covers. As soon as he stopped settling, comfortable and covered by the numerous blankets, Merrow immediately latched onto him. Her arms wrapped around his middle and she tucked her head underneath his chin, a familiar and comfortable position for the both of them. Aymeric easily responded by embracing his wife.

“You’re cold.” Merrow muttered.

“My apologies.”

Merrow squeezed Aymeric, “You can steal body heat if you need it. I don’t mind.”

“Ah, well, I mind. You are always cold after all.” Aymeric teased lightly. Merrow did complain a little bit about how cold it was when she first returned to Ishgard, and had developed a love for wearing heavy clothes and armor to keep out the chill.

“Oh, shush.” Merrow grumbled, though she buried herself more in Aymeric’s embrace.

Aymeric chuckled, “I love you.” He said as he ran his fingers through his wife’s hair.

Merrow hummed one last time, “I love you too.” She replied, “I’m happy to have you home.”

“And I am happy to be home, here with you.”


	6. Prompt 6 - Food

**-Food-**

Merrow woke up early, before the sun, and for once instead of cursing her luck she instead sat up and got out of bed without a moment of hesitation. Well, a single moment of hesitation, when her feet missed her slippers the first time she tried to get out of bed and instead touched cold hardwood. That made her gasp with surprise.

As the noise left her mouth she flinched, and looked back over her shoulder. Her heart stopped hammering when she saw her bed partner was still sleeping easy. In fact it made her heart feel like it was melting. She had to fight the urge to lean over and start kissing his face.

No, she had a mission, and so she couldn't afford to get distracted so easily. She also couldn't afford to be caught either.

With her slippers now firmly on her feet, Merrow made her way down towards the kitchens. The house was quiet, the staff not even awake and beginning their daily duties.

So she was the first person in the kitchens, able to root through the equipment to her heart's content and then raid the pantry for what she wanted.

"Lady Merrow." Merrow heard, and when she poked her head up she was met with the sight of the steward looking back at her, "Might I inquire about what you're doing creating such a ruckus this early in the morning?"

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She whispered, "I'll be a bit more quiet."

The steward shook his head, "No, the staff has woken at the appointed hour, Lady Merrow." He replied, "Do you require assistance?"

"No no no, I've got it. Thank you though." Merrow replied, "Can you make sure to let me know when Aymeric wakes up?"

The steward nodded, and Merrow smiled at how he had a happy twinkle in his eye, "I will see that your morning coffee is ready by the time you're done as well, Lady Merrow."

"Thank you!"

Merrow hummed as she baked. She had always had baking and cooking as a hobby, ever since she was a child and she helped her brother make their father lunches to take out into the field. It was a lot of ratios, measuring and such, and it was also chemistry. It was a meeting point between art and science where she could find joy, and share what she made with others.

Over the course of one of her extended periods of experimentation, she developed the recipe that she was making now.

When she finished, with all the equipment used washed and put away again, the steward was waiting for her just out in the hallway.

"Lady Merrow, your husband has woken." She replied, "He's waiting for you in the day room."

Merrow nodded her thanks, and before she left to join her husband she asked the steward, "Might I ask a small favor?"

The day room was a quiet space, and a private place as well. Really only Aymeric and Merrow used the space, and so it felt homely, and was decorated more to their tastes than to impress others. Merrow's knitting bag was underneath one of the small tables, ready to be brought out on a quiet night, and Aymeric had a stack of books right by his normal chair by the fire.

"Good morning darling." Merrow said, pausing as she passed to give Aymeric a good morning kiss.

"Good morning." Aymeric replied, "I had hoped to wake with you at my side."

"Well maybe I can offer you a balm, of sorts?" Merrow asked, and smiled at the door, where the steward was coming in.

Aymeric raised a brow and turned to look as the cake was set down on the table. It was his favorite, the one Merrow used to make for his nameday every year she could since she developed the recipe. Merrow made the joke once that there was enough sugar in it to give a chocobo enough energy to run for a year, and so it was dubbed chocobo cake. It'd been years since Aymeric would've last had it, since she was the only one who knew it and she'd been gone from Ishgard for so long.

So, she made him the cake that she made specifically to satisfy his sweet tooth.

"Happy nameday, my darling."


	7. Prompt 7 - Love

**-Love-**

_ Ishgard, 15 years ago  _

Aymeric stood guard on his normal street corner, his daily task for a long while. It was meant to be a break from the missions that sent him outside of the Holy See, but Aymeric felt like it was really a punishment of some kind. 

He stared at the street. It was a street that never had problems, given how close it was to the Scholasticate, and therefore also under the potential watch of the Heavensward. If anything was going to happen here, it would likely be because of the students inside.

"Particularly one..." Aymeric muttered to himself, though he found himself easily smiling. 

It had certainly been a notable day when he was startled from his boredom by several of the Scholasticate windows getting blown out by a spell’s recoil. A spell cast by a certain friend of his.

As if by fate, the bells tolled the hour and the Scholasticate doors opened. The students hurried out, all ready to head home. 

A group of three girls, the only girls attending the Scholasticate this year, were always the last to leave. There had been seven at the start of the semester, but now though they'd dropped to three. The other four were expelled and nearly branded heretics for their actions, Merrow had explained to Aymeric when he asked, though she said she couldn't explain more than that. 

"Aymeric!" Merrow exclaimed, and smiled as she hurried down the steps. Her friends laughed and said goodbye to her, and Merrow called out her goodbyes to them over her shoulder. 

"Miss Chern." He replied and nodded to her. He was nervous about speaking to her recently, for what he knew were obvious reasons. Even Estinien had pointed out how obvious his crush was, and they had just become friends a few months ago.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Merrow is fine!" Merrow exclaimed, "Even if you're in uniform. We're friends!" 

Aymeric stuttered a bit, "Ah, yes, right." He said, and smiled, "What did you work on today?" 

And with that Merrow’s face lit up and her words began to spill out, her hands moving as she spoke. Aymeric thought that it was a wonderful thing to watch her explain things to him. Her joy made him happy, made his chest warm and heart feel full.

"Can you believe it?!" Merrow exclaimed, and Aymeric laughed. She'd been speaking about her recent attempt at making a new ley lines matrix, and was ranting about how a classmate had erased a good portion of her work when she'd left the room to go to the restroom and get more chalk from the supply closet.

"Hardly, but I am certain you were able to recover your lost work."

"Of course, otherwise you would've been witness to a murder." Merrow replied, shifting her bag a bit on her shoulder. It was her brother's old messenger bag, a risky thing to use, given her brother had been branded a heretic, but it was accepted due to her attachment and younger age. Aymeric personally knew it was mostly used for practicality, it was a sturdy bag that could carry a lot of heavy books, and Merrow needed a bag for that.

"That would have made for a poor day." Aymeric replied, "Seeing as an investigation would have certainly cut into our afternoon conversation time."

Merrow laughed at that, and Aymeric's heart felt like it could burst from his chest.

He loved her, he realized.

The revelation wasn't a new one, but the newfound depth he'd found regarding his affection left his head spinning. His heart felt like it was beating too fast and his stomach dropped.

"Huh, Aymeric is something wrong?" Merrow asked, her laughter replaced with concern.

"Yes, I am quite alright. I...didn't sleep well last night, so I am having a few bouts of dizziness."

"Oh! Wait here! They have coffee inside the teacher's lounge, and I should be able to get you some!" Merrow replied, and turned to race back up the Scholasticate steps. She was gone before Aymeric could stop her and say that he'd be fine.

Though he was touched by the concern, and his heart settled finally after he was given a moment to right himself.

He was in love, truly.


	8. Prompt 8 - Ducklings

**-Ducklings-**

Merrow adopted those in Ishgard who were downtrodden and without a name of their own, giving them the Chern name for the small price of those who were adopted using their individual talents for the betterment of Ishgard and Eorzea.

The first to be adopted was Providence. He was a miqo'te, exiled from his clan and his name taken from him for things he wouldn't admit even now, but promised he would not do to any of his new relatives. He helped Merrow by selling things for her in the marketplace, since he had an approachable air and business savvy.

Next was a Hyur boy, about age thirteen, who went by the name of Raven. He was a scruffy boy with a fluffy mess of hair the color of pitch and sharp eyes the color of river stones. He wanted most times to be left alone to study Merrow's notes and books. He was never far from Merrow when she was home and in the library, and he was glued to her hip in public. He would be going to the Scholasticate as soon as he was of age to do so, and he wanted to follow in Merrow's footsteps. 

Then there was the Elezen woman, Yvette, and her young daughter Penelope. They had crossed paths and Merrow's heart went out to the then homeless single mother. She was one of the ones who was brought into the Chern family just because Merrow could. 

There were others, of course, and more people each week seemed to suddenly appear in the family registry under the name of Chern, either adopting the last name entirely or becoming a ward of the family and retaining their specific surnames. They were her family though, no matter what they chose to call themselves, and she made sure that they had a space to call their own. She had taken over the home of a former Heavensward for a reason after all, and that reason was to make use of all the unused space they had left.

Aymeric smiled when he heard the Chern house's chaos every time he visited that house. He would hear his arrival announced down hallways and up staircases, reaching Merrow's office in just under a minute. The young ones would call for him to pick them up so they could feel tall, and a few of the older residents would speak to him about his work and offer their wisdom to him for free. He appreciated both of these actions equally, and loved them incredibly so as well. 

And when Aymeric sometimes saw Merrow going through The Jeweled Crozier with a portion of her family, he could not help but compare the sight to a mother duck leading her ducklings. Yes, the Chern family was large and chaotic, and was sometimes viewed by a number of nobles as an affront to traditional Ishgardian values, but even so, those under her care all knew that Merrow was the matriarch of the family, their provider and protector, and would take up the mantle of parental figure, sister, or friend in a moment if asked. 

Aymeric was happy to see the Chern family rising again from the ashes where it had once been buried, larger and better than he'd seen it before.

And he was happy that now they were all his family as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun little thing! I'm happy that a good number of people appear to have enjoyed this collection of fluff that I made!  
> Thank you!


End file.
